4 Words That Will Heal Your Body, Mind & Spirit

Evocative words – that’s what they are called. They are words that have the power to stimulate the state of being that is associated with them. They may be words of physical health, emotional evenness, spiritual well-being, or any positive, mentally healthy state. They are words that, along with mental focus and reflection on them, can alter your physical, mental, and spiritual state.

The process is as follows:

1. Choose a word/quality from the list below.

2. Read about that quality in the short message.

3. Get into a relaxed state and look at the word for a minute or two.

4. Reflect on the definition of the word; say it aloud; get a “feel” or an image of what the word means.

5. Write the word on cards – several times.

6. Put the word on cards that you can place anywhere you may be throughout the day – refrigerator, mirror, office desk, car dashboard – so that you are reminded of the word.

7. Spend the day “acting as if” you already possess this quality.

8. If you have the time, make a visual collage of the word. Put the word in the center of your collage and place pictures around it that depict the meaning of that word.

9. Throughout the day (or week, or month), say the affirmation associated with the word that is provided below.

10. Embrace and praise the change that occurs.

Now, onto some of the most powerful words for healing and spiritual growth.

Forgiveness

Definition: To pardon; to cease to feel resentment and bitterness.

It’s so easy to hold onto resentment and bitterness when others have done mean or cruel things to us. Ricky Jackson, now 58 years old, spent 39 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. He was exonerated recently when the only witness, then 12 years old, recanted his story, saying that he was intimidated by police at the time. Jackson states, “No truer words were ever spoken than those by Nelson Mandela when he walked out of prison. ‘As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.’ ” Jackson has since met with his accuser and forgiven him. If Jackson can do this, how minor does your bitterness and resentment now seem? Holding onto anger and bitterness affects your physical body (respiratory ailments, ulcers, heart disease, and cancer to name a few) and gives you a negative worldview. You must let it go. Jackson found that one way to do this was to write – to get all of those thoughts on paper, to confront them, and then to let them go. Using writing as a means of achieving catharsis is a strategy that any of us can use.

Here is your forgiveness affirmation: Today I take charge of my own life by letting go of bitterness and anger and surrounding my former “enemies” with light and peace.

Gratitude

Definition: Being thankful and appreciative for what you do have.

No one’s life is perfect. Even the billionaire does not necessarily live a “charmed life.” We need only to look at public figures and celebrities who have struggled with addictions, even died from them, who have been unable to find stability in relationships, and who are the subject of innumerable scandals and public scorn. All of their money does not relieve them of these troubles. In fact, it may contribute to them. And many of them long for just a “normal” life with family, friends, and love. You may not have all of the physical “things” you long for; you may want a lasting relationship that seems elusive; you may be struggling with a teenager who is “off track”; you may be out of work. But here’s the thing. You have food in your belly, a roof over your head, and family and friends who love you; you have all of nature at which to wonder and be amazed.

The funny thing about gratitude is that when we get totally into this consciousness of being thankful for what we do have, more comes to us. It is when we feel resentment and envy that we lose. As Eckhart Tolle has said, “Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.”

Definition: Acceptance of delay, either for others to act or for one’s good to come.

Meredith was a 20-something college grad in broadcast journalism. She was warned when she declared this major that job opportunities would be very limited. But it was her passion and she refused to be deterred. Sure enough, when she graduated, she had no job prospects, despite having sent her resume out all over the place and the fact that she had completed an amazing internship at a local TV station. There were just no openings. Rather than becoming depressed and losing her enthusiasm, she took a job with a local retailer and decided to just be steadfast in her search. She knew that one day her opportunity would present itself. One night, the store she worked in caught fire, and she was the only employee on the scene at the time. The local news crew arrived to cover the story and interviewed Meredith. That interview made such an impression on the station management that they contacted her a couple of weeks later about a possible opening. She interviewed, went through a “test” broadcast, and was hired. Today she is an anchor on that local NBC affiliate in her hometown.

Knowing and accepting that your good will come allows a patience that many do not have in this “now” generation – a generation that wants immediate gratification and results. There are many paths to a successful career, and you have no way of knowing when that path will present itself. When you can get to a calm place and understand that your good will come in its own time, you have mastered the art of patience. Croft M Pentz said, “The secret of patience is to do something else in the meantime.” Meredith did just that, having no idea how her good would come but believing that it would.

When you stop trying to “make” things happen and focus instead on the truth that all good comes when and as it is supposed to, you can truly let go.

Tolerance

Definition: The ability to accept that the opinions and beliefs of others may be at odds with yours and yet to refrain from judgment and criticism.

World peace is only possible when this is achieved. Yet, you can achieve it in your own world by practicing tolerance. Every one of us is on our own path to truth, and we cannot change anyone else’s path – it is uniquely theirs. Once you accept the fact that in each incarnation there are lessons to be learned and that lessons may differ, you can then be tolerant of “where” others are on their paths. You may not agree with their beliefs or behaviors, but it is not your purpose to judge them — it is your purpose to focus on yourself and the lessons you have to learn. When you truly accept that others are on their own paths, you will have no need to criticize or to judge. It is really quite liberating. As Voltaire put it centuries ago, “Think for yourself and let others enjoy the privilege of doing so too.”

Affirmation for Tolerance: I accept that everyone is doing the best they can with what they have.